Pittsburgh Pirates: An Early Three-Round Mock Draft

Round Three - Brandon Sproat

Dylan Crews is going to take a lot of money to sign and potentially even approach the record-setting number. Meanwhile, Cameron Johnson is going to take over slot money to pry him away from his commitment to LSU and Walker Martin from his commitment to Arkansas. They're going to have to take an under slot player at some point, and one could be Brandon Sproat, a senior righty from the University of Florida who is re-entering the draft (he was drafted by New York Mets in 2022 but did not sign).

Sproat had a solid junior season, posting a 3.41 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 2.48 K:BB ratio through 89.2 innings. Sproat only had an 8.6% walk rate and a 21.5% strikeout rate. But his biggest strength was preventing the home run. Sproat allowed just five dingers, leading to a 0.5 HR/9 rate. 

Sproat can run it up into the upper-90s. He has hit 99 MPH before but typically sits around 96 MPH. Along with his fastball, the right-hander throws two breaking offerings. Between the two, his slider is the better pitch. It's a mid-80s offering, but his curveball does have the potential to be an average offering. Sporat's fourth offering is a change-up. Although he doesn't use it as frequently, don't sleep on it. It does have some decent movement.

https://twitter.com/The_Cure5/status/1502799113980723203

2023 will be Sproat's age-22 campaign and his final year at college. At 6'3", 210 pounds, Sproat does have a starter's build. While he does have mediocre control, he definitely has some impressive stuff. It is impressive to have a starting pitcher who can regularly run it up to around 98 MPH. He could be a very underrated prospect and a player the Pirates keep an eye on.